First World War bomb found on Cornish air base

A bomb disposal squad was called after a 100-year-old device was found on a Cornish air base.

The 16lb First World War bomb was believed to date from around 1916 and was discovered by contractors working at the RAF College’s Cranwell Airfield.

An RAF bomb disposal team – 5131 Squadron – was called from a base in Cambridgeshire to detonate the device.

Deputy Commandant of RAF College Cranwell, Group Captain Gordon Bettington, said: “On discovery of the WW1 ordnance by contractors working on our airfield, we activated our contingency plans to deal with the incident.”

The bomb was believed to date from around 1916 and was discovered by contractors working at the RAF College’s Cranwell Airfield (MoD/Crown Copyright/PA)

He added: “I am immensely proud of the response from all our personnel and 5131 Squadron, which enabled things to swiftly return to normal after the ordnance was made safe.

“We are now fascinated to learn more about the munition itself and the history of operations from the airfield.”

Personnel working nearby were evacuated as a precaution.

Warrant Officer Phil Hunt, of 5131 Squadron, said: “This was a WWI bomb and it took a few minutes to identify as it was a most unusual find.”